A Book Review: Parentology by Dalton Conley

I know I have already posted several book reviews this month, but I just keep checking out more and more books at the library, devouring them and then needing to post about them lol. Up until this post, I had about four different books I was either reading or had finished reading that I had yet to post a review for them. Lon suggested that I stop reading the other two books until I have caught up on the reviews on my blog, so I started posting like mad. And here we are! I still have one book to finish and post, and another to start! But I will post this review and then I can continue reading lol!

Without further ado, here's Parentology by Dalton Conley!

Parentology by Dalton Conley


This book was amazing! Finally the book gods have blessed me with a wonderful book! I had read so many terrible ones! Oh I am so excited that I finally got a "good one" I was starting to lose faith in my process! Along with the title of this book it says "Everything you wanted to know about the science of raising children but were too exhausted to ask." Hilarious! This book is a memoir of how scientific sociologist raised his children. It covers everything from naming your kid, to what not to do while pregnant (a lot of things don't really affect an unborn fetus, in his opinion), to schooling them, to giving medication for ADHD, to divorce and how it will affect your child. His first child, E, is a spunky and loving little girl. She is in the Guiness Book of World Records (or was at the time perhaps) as the girl with the shortest name ever. They decided to name her E so that she could pick what she wanted her name to be later in life. Guess what guys? She stuck with E as an adult too. Go figure! :P Their second child, a wild boy with the world's longest name was not only eccentric in his name but in personality too. Yo out smarted even his own scientist mother and father several times! This book is a riot and I loved reading every page of it! Dalton's sense of humor with parenting is refreshing and oddly similar to my own. It was wonderful to read all the studies he did just to discover that he is (as we are too) doing everything absolutely correct! After all, isn't the goal of parenting to have a successful, independent adult? I think so!

I feel like I can relate to almost all of the characters in this book, because they were all real people. I relate mostly with Dalton though, because he was the one writing the book. I can also relate with his ex-wife Natalie at certain points. I do agree with her need to make sure everything is healthy for the kids. Sometimes I drive Lon crazy with all my organic and all natural talk. He says often that I would be so much happier in the olden days lol. But I feel like everything that is manufactured anymore has the possibility to be unsafe. Manufacturing conditions aren't always the best or safest, this worries me. I can definitely relate with their children, E and Yo, the same way I can relate with my own children. I have always said there is some benefit to being a young mother and that's being able to remember how you felt as a child of that age. :)

I would recommend this book to all of my parent friends. Even if you don't like to read, but have a kiddo of your own, you should check this book out! It will have you laughing, have you crying, have you asking "What????" and have you thinking and reflecting on your own parenting skills. I had me reflecting on everything from the birth of both kids to how our current living situation affects our children. It has really opened my eyes to what it is to be a parent. And I am glad to say that we are doing this parenting thing right, according to this book at least.

"The goal is not to have a baby who quiets herself down. Its to have a well-adjusted adult in 20 years. We were going to keep cuddling E on our air mattress, lowering her cortisol levels, no matter what anyone else said."

E, Dalton and Yo Conley
Well done, Dalton and Natalie. Well done!

My Next Book Review: My Notorious Life by Katie Manning

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